Existing Survey Data
The obvious starting point for any study is to see what has been done already; to date, there have been numerous books listing military defence works and artefacts in Sussex (as well as other areas of the UK), but these have mostly concentrated on what still survived at the time of publication. A few of those defence works that were removed soon after the war occasionally get mentioned, but what is missing from the historical record is a comprehensive study of the defences in their entirety, not just those that have survived the onset of time and the bulldozer.
Types of published study
There are several types of study, ranging from books whose purpose is to list anything and everything of military origin as a guide to the enthusiast who enjoys visiting historic sites, to those studies that result in a more comprehensive gazeteer of known defence works.
A basic classification of the different styles of study is given below, with what I consider to be examples of each type. It should be noted that the classification is not based on the perceived 'usefulness' of any of the types, as all three have their merits and appeal to different audiences.
The classifications are based on the scope of sources consulted, references, general presentation of data and overall style.
| Types of Printed Defence Study | ||
| Type | Features | Sussex-related study examples |
| Guide book | General guide to any military-related features from defence works to gravestones and air raid shelters. May or may not be related to a specific period (e.g, 20th century), but usually restricted to a set area, (e.g., Sussex). Each site described and illustrated, but often little or no discussion of the relationship between sites. General referencing of sources in some cases, but predominantly based on fieldwork of surviving sites. |
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| Local study | Detailed, focussed study, usually of a small area (e.g. a town) including relatively detailed maps/diagrams and/or listed gazeteer of sites and locations. Usually restricted to a single war or part thereof, but not necessarily concentrating soley on anti-invasion defences. Detailed references to mainly local sources. |
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| Comprehensive study | Detailed study of defence works/sites, surviving and removed. Mapping, illustration and detailed analysis of defensive strategy. Well-referenced from a variety of sources. |
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Henry Wills' Pillboxes (1985) does not appear in the above list, but not because it does not have any merit; far from it. Wills' research was the original work in the anti-invasion defences of 1940 and it doesn't fit neatly into any of the above categories.
Wills covers most aspects of the defences and his gazeteer (compiled with the assistance of the public) has been the catalyst of many people's interest in a hitherto overlooked area. As Wills pioneered so much, his work really belongs in a class of its own.
William Foot's Beaches, fields, streets and hills contains detailed studies of parts of East Sussex, studied as part of the Defence Areas Project, which was a follow-up to the Defence of Britain Project. It is his outstanding work that remains the only comprehensive study of any parts of Sussex. His The Battlefields that Nearly Were is a worthy companion volume that covers details of the research process and field visits and both works are highly recommended as a 'methodological manual' for the historian/archaeologist.
The Defence of Britain Project (DoB)
The DoB Project was run by the Council for British Archaeology (CBA) over a seven-year period (1995-2002), collecting data on 20th century military structures submitted by a team of some 600 volunteers. [1] The result was a database of nearly 20,000 records which is available online. [2] The anti-invasion section of the database contains nearly 500 entries for East Sussex.
It was DoB that was partly responsible for stimulating my interest in the anti-invasion defences of 1940-41; although this was not until long after the project had ended.
As the project relied on numerous volunteers to provide information on their local defences, some duplication and errors were inevitable; there are discrepancies in the data, but no project of this scale could ever be perfect.
The DoB is still a very important one; it provides a starting point for research and it has sparked several studies. The data has been distributed to the National Monuments Record and local Sites and Monuments Records.
The Defence Areas Project
This was a follow-up study based on 67 areas identified from the Defence of Britain Project database as good examples of areas where significant portions the defences still survived, the study of which resulted in William Foot's Beaches, fields, streets and hills. The project looked at three strategies of defence, namely coastal defence, stop line defence and area defence, bringing in documentary research of both British and German sources. This is the sort of comprehensive study which I feel is needed for the whole country, not just East Sussex.
However, as the latter area is that with which I am familiar, I shall take it upon myself to build upon what has already been done in East Sussex using the methodology I have outlined in the other pages in this section.